This was an elderly demon with a dark complexion and deep furrows etched across his forehead.
He walked calmly up to the stone platform, his gaze sweeping over the surroundings. In an instant, a terrifying aura radiated from his body, causing quite a few demons of lesser cultivation to change color the moment they sensed it.
This old demon was actually a late-stage Void Refinement cultivator at the peak of the realm, seemingly only half a step away from entering the Deity Transformation stage.
Such astounding cultivation was rare in a place like Blood Crow City. Setting aside Han Li and the other human cultivators, there were precious few who could claim equal standing with him.
"My name is Yue Liantian, and I serve as one of the Elders of Blood Crow City. I trust many of you here are already acquainted with me. For this auction, I was invited by the host to serve as its presider. I would appreciate it if all of you could do me the courtesy of abiding by the auction's rules. Otherwise, don't blame me for showing no mercy when the time comes. As for these eight Daoists — they will be the enforcement guards for this auction. With their presence, there should be absolutely no concerns regarding safety." The elderly demon spoke in an unhurried tone, and the instant his words fell, he lightly clapped his hands several times.
Eight grotesque demons of early to mid Void Refinement cultivation immediately rose from the front rows and took up positions around the stone platform, their faces uniformly devoid of expression.
"Blood Hand Jingyun!"
"Tie Pohun!"
…
The surrounding demons had already recognized the faces of these eight, and quite a few drew in sharp breaths, stirring up a wave of commotion.
It was clear that these individuals were also figures of considerable renown in Blood Crow City. Many who looked upon the eight did so with a trace of fear and reverence in their eyes.
Han Li, naturally, showed no startled reaction toward eight Void Refinement cultivators. Instead, his gaze continued to sweep the area, wondering whether the Ancestor of the Long family and the others had also come to attend this auction.
To guard against any Demon Sovereign-level demon secretly attending the auction, Han Li had not deployed his vast spiritual sense, relying instead on his Spirit Eye ability to peer directly at certain demons whose attire struck him as suspicious.
But after a thorough sweep, he found nothing.
Could it be that the Spirit Clan and the others had all chosen not to attend this auction?
Han Li found himself mildly puzzled.
Truthfully, ever since they had parted ways, he really hadn't run into anyone else in the city. Whether the Ancestor of the Long family or anyone else, they all seemed to have their own objectives and had become rather secretive about their movements.
At that moment, the elderly demon announced in a deep voice that the auction would commence.
A nearby hall door swung open, and a line of demon women filed out, each carrying a tray.
Slender and graceful, they took their positions behind Yue Liantian.
Without turning his head, the elderly demon beckoned with a wave of his hand. One of the women stepped forward respectfully, raising the tray in both hands.
"Top-grade demonic artifact — the Dark-Blood Five-Color Bells, composed of five Blood Demon Bells. When deployed against an enemy, each bell possesses a distinct extraordinary effect: soul-bewildering, deadly poison, slowing, blood-boiling, and illusion. Starting price: five million demon stones!" The old man lifted the black cloth covering the tray and spoke in a placid voice.
On the tray lay five silver bells no larger than a thumb, their surfaces covered in faint black demonic patterns, all strung together by a golden ring.
"What?! The Dark-Blood Bells?! That treasure's reputation ranks it within the top ten even among top-grade demonic artifacts!"
"But that treasure can only be forged by Master An of Sea Cloud Mountain — how has it ended up in such a remote place as Blood Crow City?"
"Who cares? Just the appearance of this treasure makes attending this auction worthwhile. If such a rare item is up first, who knows what other priceless things will appear later!"
The moment the Dark-Blood Five-Color Bells were revealed, they set off another uproar of discussion throughout the hall. The majority of eyes fixed on the set of five demonic bells, gleaming with surprise, excitement, and greed.
Han Li also froze momentarily upon hearing the name of the treasure.
"Dark-Blood Five-Color Bells — why does this sound so familiar? It seems I've heard of it somewhere before."
Sitting on his stone seat, Han Li fell into contemplation.
Meanwhile, the bidding for this demonic artifact had already erupted in a flurry of fervent offers.
"Five million!"
"Six million!"
"Eight million!"
…
"Eleven million!"
This was merely a top-grade treasure, yet the bidding had already skyrocketed past ten million in the blink of an eye.
Even Han Li couldn't help but be secretly astonished.
After all, from his understanding of prices in the Blood Demon Realm over these past few days, an ordinary top-grade demonic artifact was worth only two or three million demon stones. This Dark-Blood Five-Color Bells had already fetched more than five times that amount — and seemed far from reaching its ceiling.
Wait! Dark-Blood Five-Color Bells! Glazed Five-Wonder Bells! Wasn't this exactly the name of a treasure recorded in that 'Mysterious Heaven Artifact Refinement Technique'?